1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to network devices, and more particularly to systems and methods for managing the application of access control lists on network devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, access control lists (ACLs) provide security controls for various devices and software associated with a network. The ACLs typically define whether resources are available for specific types of communications via the network. The various devices associated with the network may have varying access privileges within the network. Thus, the ACLs may define who or what is permitted to perform different types of communications.
Managing ACLs is necessary for defining theses access privileges. For example, email traffic from a “known spammer” IP address may be blocked. The access privileges may change, be updated, and so forth. For example, when new personnel join a company or when various devices need to be reconfigured, the access privileges may change. Typically, the management of ACLs is performed manually. Managing ACLs is often extremely difficult and time consuming because of the length, frequency of change, lack of documentation with respect to rules, lack of history showing when various rules were introduced, and so forth. Additionally, in order to modify the ACL, the ACL may need to be removed entirely and recreated. Accordingly, manual management of the ACLs is typically tedious and error-prone.